You Don’t Have To Pretend | Joel Osteen

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It’s easy to go through life making decisions based on what people will think.
How will this make me look? Will this be impressive? Will this gain me more followers? Will they approve me?
When we live image driven, we can’t be real, we can’t be authentic.
We have to hide this weakness or they may think less of us.
We have to play up to this person to stay in their favor.
We have to drive this, wear this, be seen with these people.
We spend so much energy protecting this image we’ve created.
And there’s nothing wrong with looking good, being successful, carrying yourself with confidence, that’s all healthy.
But where it crosses the line is when you become driven by your image.
You run everything through the filter of how it’s going to make you look.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, you do everything for show.
You wear these long robes to look better than others. You give in front of people to be impressive.
You sit in the best seats so you’ll be well thought of. None of those things in themselves are bad.
Wear nice clothes, to be a giver, to have a good physician. The issue was their motives.
They were doing it all to be seen, to impress people, to build their ego.
The problem with living image driven is it will wear you out.
The pressure of trying to keep up with people, impress your friends, look better than your neighbor, hide how you feel, act like everything’s okay when it’s not, that’s not sustainable.
The reason some people are so stressed, run down, is they have their image on the throne.
They’re doing everything to protect how they’re seen.
But you need to take your image off the throne and put God back on the throne.
You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to pretend. You don’t have to keep up with your friends.
If they only accept you if you perform to their standards, they’re not true friends.
Such a freedom when you can be real, be vulnerable, not worry about what other people think.
That’s a treadmill that never stops.
It’s a sure way to drain your energy, stop all your creativity, steal your joy.
Paul said in Romans, we should be conformed to the image of Christ.
But I’ve found if you’re obsessed with your image, you can’t be conformed to His image.
You’re always thinking about what people think. Is this gonna be impressive? Will they approve me?
Then you’re not going to become who you were created to be.
Friend of mine works in the entertainment industry.
He’s very popular, he has a dynamic personality, he’s seen as strong, talented, successful.
In the movies, he plays action heroes. He’s the good guy, saving the day.
Hosting television shows, he’s so friendly, so likable, big smile.
But he told how he became obsessed with his image, what people thought about him, how he looked.
He always projected this image of success, strength, being so happy. The problem was it was all a facade.
He was pretending. In real life, he was falling apart.
His wife was leaving him, he struggled with an addiction.
He didn’t like who he was, but every day he would put on that mask, gotta make sure I look good today.
People would see him on the streets. Hey, man. I love you. You’re so great in that movie.
He’d give them a high five. Thank you so much. The whole time he was thinking, I’m not great.
I’m depressed. I’m hurting. I’m lonely. He was so obsessed with his image, he couldn’t be real.
He wouldn’t let anyone see who he really was. One day he did what I’m asking us to do.
He took off the mask. He quit pretending. He got honest with himself, got the help he needed.
He went to a recovery program and broke the addiction. He got help in his marriage.
His wife who had left him, she came back home. Today, they’re happily married with their children. He’s healed.
He’s whole. None of this would’ve happened if he’d kept hiding behind the image he was projecting.
I’m not saying you have to tell people all your issues, announce all your secrets.
What I’m saying is you don’t have to hide.
You don’t have to pretend, worried about what people will think.
The ones that look like they have it all together, can I tell you, they have issues too?
Everyone is dealing with something. There’s no shame in saying, I need help.
I’m not what I look like. I’m struggling. I’m hurting. I’m broken.
It takes humility to take your image off the throne, to not worry about what people think, to not live trying to impress, trying to gain their approval.
So much better to be real, to be vulnerable.
In the story of the prodigal son, the young man asked his father for his inheritance early.
He left home and wasted it all partying, living wild, making poor decisions.
When the money ran out, the only job he could find was working in a hog pen, feeding hogs.
He got so desperate, he had to eat the hog food to survive.
The Scripture says, when he came to himself, he said, I will arise and go back to my father’s house.
If He was living image driven, He would have never gone home.
He would have thought, I’m not gonna let anyone see me in this condition, down, dirty, working in a hog pen.
I’ve got an image to protect. I want them to think I’m happy, successful, on top of the world.
But as long as you’re pretending, as long as you’re wearing a mask, you won’t get the help that you need.
Like this young man, you have to come to yourself.
Not who you pretend to be, not the image you’ve created, not who other people think you are.
2nd Corinthians says, with unveiled faces we reveal the glory of God.
As long as your face is veiled, as long as you’re wearing a mask, you won’t see God’s glory.
You won’t see the freedom, the wholeness, the abundance. Why don’t you take off the mask?
Well, Joel, what will people think if I’m not perfect?
If I still struggle in this area, if I need help? You know what they’ll think?
They’ll think you’re real, they’ll think you’re brave, they’ll think you’re honest and sure, some will judge, some may look down on you but what they think about you doesn’t stop your destiny.
Quit worrying about what they think.
There’s always gonna be someone that doesn’t understand you, that won’t be for you, that tries to make you feel small but there will be other people God has ordained for you that will be there to help you, to bring you out of the struggle, to lift you when you’re down, to speak victory when you feel defeat.
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